Wicked Popcorn Buckets Revealed: Here's What to Flip

It’s been an interesting week for Wicked’s marketing department. You might have heard about Mattel’s Wicked fashion dolls, and the scandalous typo that made the front page news. We talked all about it in our article, but it’s safe to say there’s a lot of eyes on the film right now.

Wicked is set to release on November 22. It will likely be one of the biggest openings of 2024, and we will be in a full scale marketing tsunami until then.

For resellers, hopping on Wicked merch early is key to making a nice profit. There’s been all kinds of promotional tie-ins, including a collab with Stanley, but the real money will be collectable popcorn buckets.

Several major theaters have already revealed their designs, and we’ll be focusing on Cinemark, AMC, and Regal, as these are usually the most lucrative brands.

Let’s start with a screwball. Cinemark has revealed their Wicked merch, but popcorn buckets are not the headline.

Cinemark will be selling souvenir Wicked drink cups for $8, and color-changing ICEE cups for $15. Also available are some very tacky t-shirts, and a plush.

It hasn’t been confirmed if they will be available separately. Cinemark’s Wicked super tickets are offered for 11/21 only. It’s likely that Cinemark will be selling their Wicked popcorn buckets a la carte following the release, and they’ve also promised more merch will be sold ahead of the premiere.

We saved the best for last. If the other offerings seem a bit blah, Regal has spun up some pretty neat designs for their Wicked popcorn buckets.

These feature distinct geometric styling and two colorways based on either Glinda or Elphaba. Like AMC, matching drink cups and toppers will also be sold.

But it doesn’t stop there. In addition to these designs, Regal has also revealed a collectable Wicked Lantern popcorn bucket and Witch Hat drinking cup. These will likely be the most popular Wicked merch sold.

Now for the fun part. We’ve covered a lot of different merch, but how do you go about getting it? And what’s worth buying?

Well, most theaters will only begin selling their promotional products on or after the film’s release day. As of today, only Cinemark has started selling their Wicked popcorn buckets and drink cups.

Regal and AMC have yet to publicly confirm any release dates, and it’s likely we’ll have to wait until the 22nd to buy anything.

It’s very easy to buy popcorn buckets to resell. You don’t need to buy a ticket or show proof of purchase, and you’re generally free to buy as many as you want, whenever you want, wherever you want. That said, it’s always smart to bring a friend, and try not to seem like an obvious reseller.

As for which Wicked popcorn bucket is the best for flipping, we’re very keen on Regal’s designs. They’ve clearly put the most effort into their merch, and fans are already responding positively.

While AMC has traditionally been the king of collectable popcorn buckets, Regal has been making big strides and recapturing a portion of the market.

We covered their (extremely cool) Alien: Romulus Facehugger popcorn buckets, and were pleasantly surprised to see them come out on top, routinely flipping for more than $80 at a time.

Will Regal’s Wicked popcorn buckets do just as well? We’ll just have to wait and see. What’s great about this release is the number of options; theaters are producing multiple variants of almost all their merch, and dedicated collectors will empty their wallets collecting it all.

So do some research, find theaters near you, and make a game plan. Popcorn buckets usually sell fastest right after a film’s release, so don’t go holding on yours forever.

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